Chapter 45

9 Whenever an explosion rocked the upper levels of the tower, it released a violent shockwave that shook the whole town. It was like a vision into Hell itself, with rubble and screaming people alike plummeting from the upper levels down to the inky depths below. “Dammit, that old man’s lost his mind…! I need to find Milo, fast!” “You can’t! The rust is building up again. I must extract it immediately or else the mushrooms will tear you apart first!” After conquering the Earth Tower, Bisco and Tirol returned to Amrit Healing (along with Kandori, for some reason, now professing himself to be Bisco’s most ardent supporter). Bisco understood the importance of his regular extraction sessions, but the tension was getting to him, and he found himself worrying about his partner more and more. “You tellin’ me to just close my eyes and go beddy-bye when the whole city’s fallin’ apart—?!” As Bisco yelled, a glittering Rust-Eater burst out of his collar. As Bisco stared at it in shock, Tirol wrestled him onto his back atop the balcony of the clinic. “I told ya to keep yer blood pressure down! If I let ya go, Milo’s gonna kill me!” “Thank you very much, Miss Tirol, ma’am! Now, brother dearest, hold still.” “You’re welcome, but are ya sure this is hygienic? Rippin’ open his stomach out here where there’s all sortsa germs, I bet.” “I agree, but if he will not move to the bed, then we have little choice. In any case, I am sure it will be fine. This is Bisco we are talking about, after all.” “Hmm, yeah, I guess you’re right.” “An’ what the hell’s that supposed to mean, huh?!” As Bisco twisted and turned, Amli nodded to Tirol and removed her glass eye. “It seems we are just in time. Your stomach cavity is nearly full… Won-shad-amrit. Won-shad-amrit-snew…” For the third time, a pillar of rust rose out of his abdomen with a slurp and disappeared into Amli’s eye socket. Bisco was used to it by now, but when he weakly opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Tirol staring down at him, a satisfied grin on her face. “Wh-what?! What the hell’s so funny?!” “Oh, nothing… Just laughin’ at what kind of face the Man-Eating Redcap makes when somebody’s fiddlin’ with his insides. After all the trouble you put me through, it’s kinda nice to see you on the receivin’ end for once.” “You rotten bitch… You’re the one they should be operatin’ on! To find out what’s wrong with that brain of yours!” Bisco went red-faced and tried to wrest himself free but couldn’t so much as move a muscle during the operation, not to mention dislodge his head from between Tirol’s thighs. “Hey! Remember to hold still! Aww, what’s the matter, does it hurt? Ya gonna cwy? You big baby.” “Y-you… When I get outta here, I’m gonna… Tirol! Behind you!” “Ha-ha-ha! Yer gonna have to try better than that! Just stay still and—” Suddenly, Bisco sprang to his feet and hurled Tirol back into the room. Then he scooped Amli up in his arms, still giddy with Bisco’s life force. “Eek! Mr. Bisco, sir…?!” Then he, too, sprang aside, narrowly avoiding something enormous that crashed down onto the balcony, splattering blood everywhere. “…Well, would you look at that…! Mr. Bisco, sir, you saved me!” “Bleh. Bleeeegh.” “Oh dear, the rust… Mr. Bisco, sir, be sure to vomit up the rest. It’s a rather unpleasant method, but I’m sure you can stomach it, so to speak.” As Bisco hurled up the contents of his gut, Tirol approached the balcony with trepidation, peering out to see what had landed there. “Urgh…what is that? A corpse…? An’ fresh, too!” Suddenly Kandori appeared, apparently in the midst of an argument with Raskeni. “Lord Akaboshi! What happened?!” he cried. Raskeni followed after him with a “Hold on, Kandori! Listen to me…” Then, “Ah! Th-that’s…!” As soon as they laid eyes on the fallen figure, they both cried out in unison. ““Kugunotsu!!”” The body resembled a bloodstained rag. It was a wonder they could even tell who it was. “You knew him, Kandori? Who was he?” “There is no doubt. He is Kugunotsu, one of the six who defeated Kelshinha, and the leader of the High Hall in the Wood Tower. He kept his strength and magical power even into old age, so I did not expect him to fall to Kelshinha… Hmm. It seems already he is far stronger than we imagined.” “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, fool!” yelled Raskeni in a rare outburst of emotion. “With Corpulo and now Kugunotsu gone, there’s only Kyurumon left taking on Kelshinha! If he defeats her, it’s all over, and even if she wins, her ambition knows no bounds; she’s only going to take his place and become a second Kelshinha! That’s why we have to set out at once to steal back the two Scriptures he possesses!” “A second Kelshinha, you say?” Kandori crossed his arms and stood there like a boulder, glaring down at Raskeni. “And what about you? Tell me, after you obtained the Scriptures under the pretext of helping Lord Akaboshi, what was it you were planning to do with them? You scorn Kyurumon, but to my eyes, the two of you are equally devious. Who’s to say you’re not after the title of Immortal Monk as well?”